Project BudBurst

Thank you for visiting Little House in the Suburbs. If you like what you see, please check out OUR BOOK.

Since buds are going to start bursting pretty soon, now is a good time to start thinking about Project BudBurst.

What is Project BudBurst? It’s a phenology research effort.

Clears that up, doesn’t it?

I’d never heard of phenology, either. Phrenology, yes, from Sherlock Holmes, but phenology was a new one.

Phenology is (from the website):

Literally “the science of appearance.” The word phenology comes from the Greek words “phaino” (to show or appear) and “logos” (to study). Scientists who study phenology – phenologists – are interested in the timing of specific biological events (such as flowering, migration, and reproduction) in relation to changes in season and climate.

Project BudBurst is similar in some ways to The Great Backyard Bird Count, except it’s for plants. It’s an ongoing citizen-report survey-type research study wherein people of all different stripes record and send in observational data from their own environment. You can make a single report, or contribute ongoing reports, about a single plant, or about multiple plants.

It sounds like a great project for a classroom or a homeschooler, or anyone with a love of plants.